A few years ago I took a road trip through Iowa, which included a stop in Mason City. I visited the town not because I am a devotee of The Music Man but due to its large number of Prairie School buildings. Yes, this architecture nerd even stayed at the last remaining Frank Lloyd Wright-designed hotel in the world. But there isn’t really much to do there, so after some Googling, I discovered Clear Lake was a 15-minute drive from Mason City. What’s in Clear Lake, you ask? Well, only the Surf Ballroom where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson gave their last performances on February 2, 1959 before crashing into a nearby cornfield during a snowstorm. You know, “The Day the Music Died”. So of course I had to go and check it out.
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed myself. The museum, located in the former Cypress Room, is free (although there’s a suggested donation) and has a number of related artifacts on display, but the best part is just walking around the building. It’s like stepping back in a time machine. Although the owners could charge visitors during the day, this perfectly preserved and very active music venue is open to all (you do have to pay for a guided tour). You can wander through the lobby where the original ticket window is located; and just off the entrance is the original public telephone that was used by Buddy Holly to call his wife and by Ritchie Valens to call his manager.
The ballroom itself is small and intimate with the original maplewood dance floor and cozy green vinyl booths, so seeing a concert here must be pretty cool. While I visited, oldies music played overhead in the darkened ballroom, then a documentary was shown, which was watched attentively by some older ladies, who claimed to have hung out here as teenagers. But remember to take in the details! The restored murals depict a seaside beach motif with images of crashing waves, and there are even tropical fish carved into the wooden booths, which makes sense if you’ve ever experienced a winter in the Midwest. After all, it was the harsh weather conditions that killed these musicians.
A must-see, after walking across the original stage, is the very small backstage “Green Room”, which is covered in drawings and autographs by all the musicians who have performed here, like Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys (as well as famous people who have just stopped by…the signatures of Obama and Romney are right near each other). There is even a verse of “American Pie” written by Don McLean himself. This is also where Ritchie Valens bet on the fateful coin toss that got him a seat on the plane. The Surf Ballroom, which was built in 1948, has been designated a Historic Rock and Roll Landmark by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. So if you’re ever driving through Northern Iowa, which I know is highly unlikely, I strongly suggest you make a detour here. The history and the aura…there’s really no place like it!
